Nefarious Agreements
by wreckingduty
Summary: Rouge the Bat and her Lunatone are hired to steal the Millennium Items.  Originally written on April 30, 2007.


[**Information:** This story is a little different from my usual, it originally was an intro to an RP planned between me and my sister, but it never got running. I've got a world built for this story, and for lack of a better name, I've dubbed it Funport Extravaganza. I've got a few ideas how it would continue, but nothing is concrete and I don't have current plans to continue it.

The fandoms in this story are: Sonic the Hedgehog, Pokemon, Kingdom Hearts, the original series of Yu-Gi-Oh!, and Animal Crossing.

This story was originally written on April 30, 2007

Thanks for reading!]

On the vast island of Mech Continent, there is a city called Casino Night Zone, named after the many gambling establishments located in the city, and for the plentiful smog that gave the city's sky an appearance of eternal night.

Our story begins deep in the heart of this city, in one of the many colorful casinos that the city is so famous for.

Despite the city thriving on gambling, there isn't much crime, except for the illegal goods sold on the Black Market, and the many thieves and other rogue-ish sorts that are for hire. But, these thieves generally leave the inhabitants of Casino Night Zone alone; they prefer to go after larger targets than money. Priceless artifacts and gems that bring a challenge is what they are truly interested in.

One of these thieves-for-hire was relaxing in the casino, her booted feet resting on the table before her. She reached a gloved hand for the raspberry juice drink that had been residing on the table. The color of the juice, and the glass that it had been poured into, might have given the impression of wine, but this thievess preferred to stay sober. Being drunk impaired oneself, and a thief had to be sharp-witted to pull off their capers, especially the big heists that this one was used to.

Floating behind the thievess was her partner in crime, a Pokemon called Lunatone. The thievess had not given a name to the creature, so it was just called by its species' title. Lunatone was usually silent, but when it did speak, it said things just using a combination of the parts of its name. Though most people did not understand the Pokemon's speech, the thievess could communicate with it perfectly.

The thievess and her partner were just relaxing in the casino, waiting to see if anyone would hire them. The casinos and thieves usually had an agreement, if the thieves didn't rob them or cause disturbances; they were welcome to search for clients there. This worked for everyone, for the thieves usually spent some of their earnings at the casinos where they had picked up clients.

This thievess specialized in gems and jewelry. She was known far and wide for her abilities, advanced equipment, and the powers of her partner. These factors made her a force to be reckoned with.

Suddenly, her bat ears twitched, she could hear a disturbance in the air, but couldn't see anyone yet.

Right before her eyes, on the opposite side of the table, a dark energy was coming into being. Threads of darkness twisted and turned in the air, spiraling upwards into an oval shape. The space between the threads filled out into pure blackness, and when it was completely dark, the shadows peeled back slowly to reveal a form in a cloak that seemed as black as the darkness itself.

But, the thievess didn't seem to be too concerned with this, she had dealt with a lot of beings in her own time, many of them had accepted darkness as well. She wasn't bothered by the fact that the being's hood obscured its face; most clients didn't want their identity to be known. She looked the figure over, analyzing what she could from the mysterious being.

The figure then spoke, drawing the thievess' attention from figuring out what she could from the being to listening to his words. "I presume you are Rouge the bat?" These were the words that came from beneath the hood, a masculine voice as cold and calculating as the darkness.

The thievess nodded, "Yeah, I'm Rouge." She said, offhandedly. One didn't want to seem too interested in a potential deal, that could make the customer wary.

She gave a glance to Lunatone, "Lunatone, use Light Screen." she commanded.

The Pokemon gave a blink, "Lunaaa." It replied, and glowed slightly. Soon, there were invisible barriers surrounding the trio.

Rouge looked at the figure, "These clear walls are not meant to keep you hostage, rather they are to keep prying ears out. You will find that you are able to leave at any time."

The hood nodded, "You have an excellent reputation, I hope that perhaps you are offering your services at the moment." It was a statement, but one clearly intended as a question.

Rouge continued the semi-uninterested act, "Perhaps, depends on the request." She had just the right mix of interest and boredom in her voice. She was an expert in putting on an act and dealing with clients.

The figure seemed to accept this answer, "I have heard that you are only interested in the most valuable of jewels and ones that present a challenge to steal. The offer I will propose to you will involve both of these, the objects are of priceless value and are heavily guarded." He pulled a brown cloth bag out of a pocket. It was bigger than a normal gold pouch, and seemed to have odd lumps in it. "You would be paid some now, for any expenses that may occur, plus a bonus. When the items are retrieved, you would be paid even more."

Rouge looked at her customer, appearing more interested in before, "Hmmmm...something could be arranged... But, first, how do I know these items are priceless? I'm not just any run-of-the-mill thief."

The being gave a dark chuckle, one that would send chills down most anyone's spine, but Rouge managed to not show it to him. "Trust me; these are more than worth your time. Perhaps you've heard of the Millennium Items?"

Rouge's eyes grew wide, no matter how good of an actor; she could not conceal her surprise. "You mean the Millennium Items that are solid gold plated and the subject of many legends? The ones that are rumored to contain great powers, which are currently in the possession of Pharaoh Atem Yami and his advisors?"

The figure chuckled again, "My, you do know your treasure; those are the exact objects that I mean."

Rouge pulled out a small, pink computer and started typing away. "My sources say that there are seven of the Millennium Items, six of which are usually kept together, and the seventh, the Millennium Puzzle, is always around the neck of the Pharaoh." She looked up at the being, "The Millennium Puzzle will present a problem, I don't steal things off of people, I only get the ones under high security. I prefer to avoid combat, if you know what I mean."

The figure didn't seem to care about this information, "I am aware of this. Do not trouble yourself with the Puzzle, I know the risks involved with obtaining it, and the other six items will be more than enough for my purposes. Though, if you do happen to obtain the Puzzle, you will get a bonus, but if you do not get the Puzzle, you will get the regular pay."

Rouge nodded, "That deal sounds pretty workable. Now...before it's all decided, what is the pay?"

The being tossed the bag he had been holding, and it made an odd thud on the table. "Here is the payment for expenditures. You should find it more than enough."

Rouge reached a hand cautiously into the bag, and pulled out an odd, heart shaped object. It was made out of some kind of material that appeared to be a red-tinged crystal. She looked up at the figure, "It's shiny, but what is it exactly?" She didn't seem displeased; rather, she appeared to be confused.

The being gave another dark chuckle, "What does it look like?"

Rouge looked at the crystal, frowning, "It can't be...is it truly a heart?"

The hood nodded, "Indeed, you are correct."

Rouge frowned, then thought for a moment, "I'm not even going to ask how you got them. I wouldn't normally accept this sort of thing as payment, but, I know someone who would find them intriguing, and I think he'll give me a good price for them."

The figure looked at her, "I trust we have a deal then?"

Rouge nodded and held out her hand, "It's a deal. When the items are obtained, where should we meet?"

The being thought for a moment, "I will contact you. There are some pressing matters that I must attend to first, before we can complete the transaction. I trust this won't be a problem?"

Rouge kept her hand out, "As long as it's not too long, I can manage."

The figure then reached out to shake the bat's hand, with an iron grip. Gloved hand to gloved hand, they shook, sealing the deal.

They both let go of each other's hand at the same instant, the being stepping backwards. He pulled an item out of his pocket, "A little something for your partner." He tossed the object to Rouge.

She caught it, and with that, the figure was bathed in shadows, vanishing from sight. Rouge looked at the object; it appeared to be a chocolate chocolate chip cookie. On one side was written "TM". The bat raised an eyebrow, "A TM, nice." She went to a TM database on her computer, "Hey, Lunatone, our newest customer has provided you with Shadow Ball, isn't that nice?"

Lunatone replied, "Luna."

Rouge gave a small laugh and held her hand up with her palm flat. The TM was resting on top, "Ok, here you go."

Lunatone floated over to its partner, and leaned down. It gently took the TM in its mouth and proceeded to eat it. Lunatone seemed to glow an odd purple color for just a second, and then it was back to normal. "Tone." it said afterwards.

Rouge gave a laugh, "Glad you enjoyed it." She then went to work at her computer, pulling up diagrams and blueprints of the Pharaoh s Palace. "Hey, Lunatone, come look at this." She waved her hand at the computer display, "Seems like they keep all of those items in one room, except for ceremonies. You think you can teleport us there?"

Lunatone was silent, analyzing the diagrams. After a good bit, it spoke up, "Luna luna tonneee."

Rouge nodded, "That's just what I like to hear! First, we should go to the outside of the palace, so you can disable the security in that room." She pulled up some more diagrams. "Nothing too complex, as you can see, just the standard deadly motion-sensor laser web, and a few cameras. Those would work against normal thieves, but not versus the kind of skills we have."

Lunatone looked at these images, and spoke once again, "Tone tone tone, lunaluna."

Rouge gave a smile, "I knew you could handle it! Let's get a move on then. First, though, we need to take care of these hearts. Can you take me to Crazy Redd's?"

Lunatone bobbed up and down in a nod, and closed its eyes. A blue light surrounded the Pokemon and the bat, and suddenly, they were gone from the casino.

The thief pair appeared right outside a store down a dark alley. The store was made of concrete bricks painted black, and there was a black canvas awning over the door. On the awning were white letters that spelled out, "Black Market."

Rouge looked at her Pokemon partner, "Accurate as always!" She complimented it.

Lunatone took this compliment with a "Luneeee."

Rouge laughed, "Come on, let's go see Redd." She walked over to the door and opened it up. A small ding could be heard as she did so. The bat walked into the store, holding the door open for her armless partner.

A small fox trotted out from the back, "Oh! Cousin Rouge, what a pleasure to see you!" He always referred to his customers as some sort of relation, cousin being his favorite.

Rouge smiled, "It's nice to see you too, Cousin Redd."

Crazy Redd gave a kindly nod, "What brings you into the shop today? I have this lovely painting..." He indicated a small painting of flowers, "Since you're my cousin, I can give you an excellent deal..."

Rouge looked at the fox with a twinkle in her eye, "Cousin Redd, you know as well as I do, that that painting is a worthless fake."

Crazy Redd gave a hearty laugh, "Sharp as ever, cuz, sharp as ever. You're as crafty as a fox, which just proves that we're family."

Rouge laughed as well, "Glad to see you've still got your sense of humor."

The fox nodded, "Indeed, though I'm afraid that I've not been able to obtain any for sale..." He gave a mischievous grin at this, clearly teasing.

The bat gave a smirk, "Cousin, I know that one day, you'll be able to get some humor for your merchandising purposes. You're a fox after all, and one of the most clever ones around. You'll figure out something."

Crazy Redd laughed, "That is true, cuz, that is true. Once I get some, you'll be the first I'll offer it to!"

Rouge smiled in return, "Thanks, I'll keep you up on that."

The fox looked at Rouge, "Ok, now down to business. I know you're a busy lady, cuz, so what brings you to my fine establishment today?"

The bat pulled out the bag of hearts, "One of my customers had an...unusual...way of payment. I wanted you, Cousin, to be the first I offered it to." She placed the bag on the counter.

Crazy Redd slowly opened the bag, and pulled out one of the jewel-like hearts. "My word, Rouge, do you know what this is?"

Rouge nodded, "Yes, my client told me it was a heart. Are you interested?"

The fox blinked, and rummaged through the bag, "I've never seen anything like them! They're shiny like a jewel, but are warm like oatmeal... Cuz...how much are you willing to part with them for?"

The bat smirked; she had finally found an object to get a genuine reaction from Crazy Redd, a rare event indeed. She smiled, "How much are they worth to you?"

Crazy Redd looked through the bag some more, whispering to himself, apparently doing some fancy calculations only he knew how to work. "Since you're my cousin and all, I'll give you a total of 10,000 gold, 1000 for each of them."

Rouge smiled, that was a high price for Redd, she knew that he must really want them. She nodded, "Give me the gold, and you have a deal."

Crazy Redd nodded, "Ok, cuz! Give me just a moment to go to my safe. No peeking now! Of course, you're my cousin, so you wouldn't rob me... But it still doesn't hurt to be cautious in this day..." He went to the safe, and could be heard counting out stacks of coins. He scooped them in a large bag and brought it to Rouge with some difficulty. "10,000 gold even." He stated.

The bat pulled out a device and put it on her eyes, this was the Treasure Scope she owned, and it allowed her to see invisible things and things behind walls. She looked at the bag for a moment, then put the Treasure Scope away, "Thank you, cousin, the amount due is all here."

The fox pretended to be hurt, "Awwwww...cuz, you honestly think I'd cheat you?"

Rouge laughed, "Hey, like you said, cousin, you have to be careful."

Crazy Redd laughed as well, "Nicely said, cuz, nicely said."

The bat hefted the bag over her shoulder, "Well, cousin, it was a pleasure doing business with you, and we didn't have nearly enough time to chat, but I've got a previous obligation, you know how that is."

The fox nodded sagely, "Indeed...you be careful, cuz, I wouldn't want anything to happen to family."

Rouge nodded, "Same to you, cousin Redd." With that, she left, once again holding the door for Lunatone.

Once they were both out, the bat closed the door. She held up the bag to Lunatone, "Could you please transport these to our safekeeping spot?"

Lunatone nodded, "Toooonnnne..." It concentrated, and the bag was surrounded by a blue light, then in vanished.

Rouge smiled, "Thank you, Lunatone."

"Luna luna." Lunatone replied.

Rouge looked at her Pokemon partner, "So, are you ready to hit the road?"

The Pokemon bobbed up and down in the air, in its own way of nodding. "Tone tone!" it said, sounding enthusiastic.

The bat smiled, "Ok, first, we're going to go to the Pharaoh's Garden. You know where that is, right?"

Lunatone thought for a moment, "Luna." It replied, and soon, both it and Rouge were surrounded by a blue light, and then they were gone.

It was dark at the Pharaoh s Palace, for it was really nighttime there. It was quiet tonight, but that was broken by the two figures that appeared in the garden.

The bat pulled out her small computer and pulled up the electronic diagrams of the Treasure Room. "Ok, Lunatone, I need you to reroute the electricity, so that there isn't any in the Treasure Room, but nobody knows that."

Lunatone concentrated, glowing slightly, "Luuunnnnnaaaaa..."

After a few moments, it stopped glowing, and nodded to Rouge. "Lune tone."

Rouge gave the Pokemon a smile, "Thank you." She looked at Lunatone, "Do you want to go now, or do you need to rest for a bit?"

The Pokemon seemed to think about this, then it floated back and forth, as if shaking its head, "Tone. Luna."

The bat nodded, "Ok, only if you're sure though. Teleport when ready." She pulled her Treasure Scope out, and put away the computer. She placed the scope on her eyes, and nodded to Lunatone, giving it a thumbs up.

Lunatone paused for a moment, then it and Rouge glowed blue. With a whoosh of air, the two were gone.

They appeared in the now dark Treasure Room. With the Treasure Scope, Rouge could see clearly, and Lunatone used its Psychic powers to see its way around.

The bat pulled out a black canvas bag, and slowly stalked towards the large stone tablet that was in the middle of the room. There was a lot of gold and valuable jewels, but Rouge ignored them, just focusing on her job.

She swiftly removed all the items from their holding places, and placed them in the bag. When she was done with that task, she glanced up at Lunatone and gave it another thumbs up.

The Pokemon nodded and with a muted blue light, teleported the both of them back to the garden.

Once they were at the garden, Lunatone restored the normal electrical patterns to the Treasure Room.

That being done, it then glowed blue again, and sent Rouge and itself back to the apartment that they lived in.

Once they arrived safely at their destination, the bat smiled at the Pokemon, "You did an excellent job, just like always!"

Lunatone replied, sounding proud, "Luna luna!"

Rouge then lounged on her bed, and pulled out the Millennium Rod, "Just all in a night's work..."

The next morning, the Pharaoh s Palace was in an uproar.

The guards looked at the security displays, and discovered that all the Millennium items, save the Puzzle, were missing.

Of course, the Pharaoh was notified immediately, and he held an emergency council meeting with his advisors.

They discussed the grave situation, and decided that the best course of action was to get Ansem the Wise from a nearby kingdom to help out. Since he knew just about everything, the council decided that he was just the person that they needed.

A message was sent to him, and he immediately organized a caravan made of people that had been staying in Radiant Garden, and who were willing to help. Since it was a long journey across the continent, they had to plan well, and pack a lot of supplies, including the king's personal ice cream freezer.

They set off on their journey, and when they reached the Valley of the Aliens, one of their caravan members decided to stay there. He felt that he wasn't strong enough, since his power level was not over 9000, and he thought that he would be of more use after he was stronger. That, and he was sick of the constant teasing about his oversized scarf.

After saying goodbye, the caravan continued, with one open spot, into the Great Desert.


End file.
